A hydrocarbon contains 85.7 % carbon by mass. What is the empirical formula of the hydrocarbon?

A.     \({{\text{C}}_{\text{2}}}{{\text{H}}_{\text{3}}}\)

B.     \({\text{C}}{{\text{H}}_{\text{2}}}\)

C.     \({{\text{C}}_{\text{2}}}{{\text{H}}_{\text{5}}}\)

D.     \({\text{C}}{{\text{H}}_{\text{3}}}\)

B

This might have taken some time and was, perhaps, more challenging for those reliant on calculators. Nearly 68% of the candidates, however, gave the correct answer.